


Jahaatir

by scalphunter



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, Emotional Hurt, Feelings, Gen, M/M, Post-Episode: s04e15 Deception
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25844131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scalphunter/pseuds/scalphunter
Summary: General Kenobi, of the 212th Attack Battalion.Jedi Master Obi-Wan… Was dead.And, because that is the way Cody is wired, he blames himself for not being there and being half a galaxy away at the time, he decided the best option would be to drown himself in alcohol instead of talking to anyone.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 96





	1. Chapter 1

Rex is the one that tries to slow down the influx of drinks coming Cody’s way, where he is staring mutinously into each glass expecting to find an answer to how he is feeling. It isn’t working, quite clearly, and Rex puts a hand on his shoulder before Cody shrugs him off with a sneer. The action puts Rex’s hackles up and he glares. Cody ignores him, sourly, the atin ori’vod!

‘I can’t fix this, Cody, I can’t! But you’re kirffing sure I can be here to make sure you don’t do something equally jare'la’ he says gruffly.

Maker! He had had to deal with Skywalker’s dangerous whirling rage, and Tano’s own grief that had her in fits and starts and unable to really do anything at all.

General Kenobi, of the 212th Attack Battalion.

Jedi Master Obi-Wan… Was dead.

And, because that is the way Cody is wired, he blames himself for not being there and being half a galaxy away at the time, he decided the best option would be to drown himself in alcohol instead of talking to anyone. Rex had been worried about Skywalker and Tano and, honestly, Cody had been the last person on his priority list. Not that he didn’t think Cody cared, it is very obvious to anyone who pays attention to the leaders of the 212th to see that there is a definite bond there, it was that he expected Cody to have closed off and take it for what it is, not have all his walls tumble down.

Rex was at a loss. Every death mattered to them, be it a clone or a jedi or a civilian, it became a memory or a reason to keep marching on in hope that their deaths were not in vain when everything finally stops.

‘This isn’t normal’ Cody mumbles, scowling.

‘What is?’ Rex asks, because it has to be something other than dealing with death, which they do on an almost semi-regular basis.

‘I can’t – will I… Will the 212th get a new General? I can’t lose my men. What if I get transferred back to General Windu?’ Cody is asking all these things to himself, uttering fast, not to Rex, mainly because Rex is struggling to get into that head of his to see.

‘That’s your battalion! Yours, Cody.’ Rex says, and then something occurs to him, ‘You are aware that when Kenobi made you Marshall-Commander that means the 212th are yours to lead on if – well – ‘ Rex doesn’t say, ‘ _in the event of a General’s death_ ’.

Cody slumps, looks no less stricken but less panicked - there is this passive depression about him now.

Rex had admired Kenobi, got along fairly well with him, for reasons that mostly revolve around dealing with Skywalker. Rex had gone to him on occasion to try to understand exactly why his General is the way he is, and Kenobi had been obliging, kind and helpful.

Rex thinks if they ever get their hands on Rako Hardeen, Rex might see if Kix can supply him something that will stop Cody, Tano and Skywalker ripping the man limb from limb.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He is so tired.
> 
> Of the war.
> 
> Of the lies.
> 
> All of it

His Commander isn’t talking to him.

Ah, that may be a slight exaggeration because Commander Cody is _talking_ to him, being the completely terrifying competent Marshall Commander, he always has been, only with fewer _words_ involved, including through their mental bond.

A while ago Obi-Wan trained Cody and a few of the others in mental shielding, in a vain attempt to give them another layer of protection against the likes of Ventress or Dooku. The shields guard against force user fiddling around and glancing into their heads. It is by no means fool proof, but it would make it a tad more challenging for anyone who tried. Of course, around Obi-Wan his men aren’t so calculated.

Or at least, they were.

Before Rako Hardeen.

Boil and Waxer had, on the surface, been glad he was back amongst the living, however as Obi-Wan tuned in to their force signatures, their mental blockades went up and there was this stringent feeling of loss and confusion and regret.

That had been nothing compared to his own Commander’s reaction.

With Boil and Waxer, Obi-Wan could feel the wave of relief through the force before it was shuttered by everything else. With Cody, he didn’t get anything.

Nothing. Cody’s usually familiar presence to him was guarded, and his shields were akin to the finest Beskar, locking Obi-Wan out completely. This blindsides him for a moment and he carefully arranges his features into a neutral expression.

He had tried to reach out, tried to _fix it_ , and yet nothing seemed to work.

So, he did another thing he isn’t ultimately proud of, he went to Rex.

Rex who didn’t shield from him, didn’t run away of give him a wide berth, but stood resolute and calm, and told him that –

‘If I may speak freely sir?’ and Obi-Wan ushered that he do so and was always welcome to, ‘It’s not necessarily about what you did, sir, we all understand your reasons…’ Rex’s eyes downcast, like Ahsoka does right before she says something that she doesn’t want to truly admit, ‘But it hurt. Your death, it hurt all of us. General Skywalker, and Commander Tano were… incensed. And Cody – I haven’t seen him like that since he lost his first squadron. And then have it all be a lie? We understand the duty, General, and our respect of you has come from you fighting beside us each battle, protecting our brothers… Me, and Tano I understand, but to not have Commander Cody or General Skywalker in the loop was…. Forgive me sir, but it shuk’la the trust’

Rex’s voice trails off, and he stands as still as he did before he began to talk, and Obi-Wan doesn’t feel any better about any of it.

He has to make sure Rex _knows-_

‘I didn’t wish to lie to any of you. You have to know this. Lying to Anakin caused me great – well, I it is not something I’d care to repeat. Nor do I ever wish to keep out Cody on anything. It all was _decided._ ’ He hates how the word tastes in his mouth, how it creeps around his teeth like a parasite.

‘I do understand, General’ Rex is still looking at him oddly, ‘You might have to give Cody a bit of time he, well, frankly, he might hit you if you push him’ Rex squints and Obi-Wan smiles hollowly.

‘One might argue that I deserve that,’ he intones, and Rex blinks slowly at him, sincerely. ‘Thank you, Rex’ he says, with a small nod.

‘Of course, General’ he murmurs, ‘It is good to have you back’ the words are solemn and weighted, and Obi-Wan smiles even if it doesn’t resonate.

He is so tired.

Of the war.

Of the lies.

All of it.

Rex takes his leave and Obi-Wan is alone once again, with only this clawing guilt that this is only the beginning of the end.

One small crack.

One new imperfection.

It will crumble, one day, he knows it.

He just hopes to the Maker that when it does, Anakin, Ashoka, Cody are safe. That is all he can ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos & comment


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He does his job, he dedicates more hours than are feasible to his work, and it is all fine.
> 
> This is what he tells himself up until General Kenobi turns to him after a meeting, not uttering a word and yet he is reaching out with the force, enveloping Cody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final conversation.

‘You have to talk to him eventually, sir’

That’s Wooley telling him.

Cody stops himself from kindly telling Wooley to kriff off and pull rank, because he knows of everyone Wooley is the most sympathetic and irredeemably gentle one, even after all he has been through. Cody actually quite likes the man. He schools his expression, carefully bland.

He's fine.

‘I do talk to the General, Wooley’ he says, and he can hear all but Rex in his head telling him to quit responding with osik.

Wooley doesn’t, of course, say as much himself, but there is a traitorous twitch to his eyebrows as if it is taking all of his willpower to not frown at his commanding officer.

‘Yes, sir’ he says, mildly, and Cody nods swift and immediately dismissive.

Wooley salutes and walks to find Crys probably, and Cody feels this horrible scraping, gaping push behind his ribs of loneliness.

Rex isn’t around, he is off galivanting with Skywalker, and Obi _\- General Kenobi-_ is… Well.

Cody isn’t proud of his behaviour, as shocking as that might seem, but he doesn’t know what else to do. He doesn’t know what the best course of action is when all he wants is to have Kenobi by his side like usual, and at the same time, as soon as the man is _right there,_ he feels all that rage and hurt bubble up and makes his hand shudder imperceptibly.

The worst thing about all of this is that Cody gets _why_ Kenobi did what he did. It had to believable, and staging it with real shock and the consequent ripple effect across the GAR and the Jedi. He logically understands exactly why, and so as he gets angry, he knows full well how foolish he is to break like this.

His grief had spilled into glass after glass at ‘79’s, into shot after shot he took on the next battle which he was sent on with General Windu, into each and every scrub he took of his armour.

He was well aware of their disposition to be attached to the Jetsii, to obey and listen, and also protect and serve, it has been drummed into their minds so much it might as well be written into their DNA as well.

And yet, he cannot shake the realisation that as attached as he is, that to General Kenobi, Cody is nothing more than a clone. Not a friend. Not a comrade.

And he’s fine.

It’s fine.

He expected more, more insight, and more trust, which simply didn’t happen.

So, he hides, behind his helmet and visor, and uses his armour to the best of its ability by shielding himself from anymore of the pain.

He does his job, he dedicates more hours than are feasible to his work, and it is all fine.

This is what he tells himself up until General Kenobi turns to him after a meeting, not uttering a word and yet he is reaching out with the _force_ , enveloping Cody.

He strengthens his shields, screaming into them, hoping that it is enough, and when Kenobi sighs with disappointment and sadness he holds on to his resolve, commenting on the meeting and asking for a strategic breakdown.

It works for a while, Cody isn’t happy about it but he isn’t supposed to be, he is supposed to simply _be,_ and shoulder his anxiety through the storm.

He uses the training room, the small one at the other end of anything on the ship because no-one else ever wants to, so he can be left to focus without dealing with any of his brothers and their looks of _‘why are you still mad?’_.

His hand aches, blood seeps through the wrapping, and he snarls. Helix might just inject him and strap him to a bed. He flexes the hand, wincing.

He feels Kenobi’s presence rather than anything else and he doesn’t turn around, allows his shoulders to drop.

‘If you are snitching for Helix, sir, I’d say it was unbecoming of you’ he comments, and he tracks Kenobi’s movement.

Kenobi is over there, keeping on the outskirts, away from easy reach Cody’s brain nastily supplies.

‘I am here of my own volition, Commander, as strange as that may be; however, you may wish to see Helix for your hand’ he comments, and it is just this side of light goading, something he has seen Kenobi do with countless people over the years.

Never him though, and that is why he whirls around and glares.

Kenobi stares straight back at him. He looks almost like a shiny. His beard is gone still, and his hair is light-ginger sparse tufts, it’s wholly absurd.

‘I’ll do just that then. Sir’ he says, and strides past, towards the door, he can’t be near the man.

Which doesn’t open, doesn’t yield, even when he punches in the override which could only mean _one_ thing.

‘I am not above keeping that door closed if you don’t talk to me, Cody’ Kenobi’s cadence has a false air of casualness and it does absolutely nothing to ease the irritation gliding along his nerves.

Cody growls, glaring at the door with all his might as if it might just open under the intensity of his gaze. It doesn’t.

‘Open the door, General’ he says, as evenly as he possibly can. There is sweat cooling at his face and on his neck and he could do with a shower really.

He is isn’t running away. Running away is cowardly.

However, he has no compunction to go anywhere near Kenobi or talk to him. The voice in his head that sounds like Rex, is tutting at him, disappointed in him. Cody looks steadily at the floor, back straight, and feeling like an open wound on display.

It reminds him of Kamino, of the trials, being one of the few standing around his brothers who had collapsed on the floor and some who did not get up again.

‘Please, _Kote’_

At the use of his original name, the Mando’a, Cody looks up sharply.

‘You don’t have the right to say that’ he hisses, before he can stop himself and cram the words back in, because haar’chak he made one vital error: he should never have turned around in the first place.

Kenobi looks ashamed, guilty, and there is this wind rush of emotion that pulses across from him.

‘I am sorry’ he says quietly.

He must have had to say a fair number of times recently, Cody thinks, acidly.

Kenobi drops the hand he had held up, the one holding the door stuck, and makes no move to stop Cody going if he wishes, all he does is clench his hands at his sides into fists and just as quick release them.

Cody doesn’t move.

‘I am sorry. It wasn’t as if I didn’t care, or think less of you or the 212th, the Council decided it wasn’t worth the risk of you knowing. Or Anakin, or Ahsoka. I had to lie about my death to the people who I trust my life with!’ his voice takes up a bar in volume in the last part. ‘It wasn’t easy, and you are my second in command, Cody… I spend my time hoping you and your brothers can be honest with how you feel and what you think of me and my plans; and then _this_ happens and I seem very hypocritical, don’t I?’

’Yes’ Cody agrees, and for the first time in weeks, Kenobi smiles. It’s watery, and almost as frail as everything else, but it’s there, and Cody’s rage dimmers to a simmer. ‘I trusted – I trust you. The men trust you, sir, and we know we are lucky to have someone like you leading us’ Cody says, and thinks before he opens his mouth again, Kenobi looking at him imploringly, ‘As clones were meant not to feel, not to grieve, we all come away from Kamino like that, and then we lose brothers in explosions not tests, and everything seems smaller somehow. My first squadron, I was the only one left alive, I tried so hard to save Keeli but he died in my arms anyway… And when you were shot, I couldn’t attend a funeral of the man I failed to protect, we all couldn’t remember you, we were shuttled off to wherever we were needed next’ his voice is bitter and unused at such great lengths, he doesn’t suppose he has ever talked this much in front of Kenobi who does not seem at all inclined to interrupt him. ‘You’re my General, sir, and I mourned your death like you are one of the vode’.

He stops talking, he bites his jaw closed, and simply waits. Kenobi sighs, this horrible painful sigh.

‘I feel that is the most I have ever heard you say, which saddens me further. You know, there is this idea that you and your brothers have to live up to an expectation set by the Jedi, and if anything, I am of the opinion that it should be the other way around. I do my utmost to live up to your belief of what I am’ he says, fiercely principled.

Cody relaxes minutely, weakens his shielding and allows everything to trickle over, like a tall glass full of liquid. Kenobi’s eyes widen – he doesn’t know what Kenobi is feeling right about now, he never does, but it must be quite something because he withdraws.

‘My friend… I hope you can forgive me?’ he asks and Cody nods, once, then twice, and takes a few steps forward, closing the cavernous gap between them to a respectful yet friendly space, and holds out a hand that isn’t injured.

Kenobi pointedly looks to the other one, however he says nothing, and then clasps Cody’s hand in a steady shake.

‘What did you do to that?’ Kenobi’s willpower didn’t last long, and Cody flushes, embarrassed, and Kenobi frowns, ‘What?’

‘I may have fallen over and into a wall while intoxicated. I caught my hand on the skirting.’ The memory of the incident is still fuzzy around the edges, the pain is all too present.

‘Well, I do hope you apologised to the wall, Commander’ Kenobi says, lightly, and Cody huffs a barely there laugh at that.

‘I did it one better, I wrote a notice of regret’ he replies, and Kenobi grins, solidly this time.

Cody should go to Helix, he thinks as he looks at the said hand, if anything to get the bandages changed. He isn’t fond of the lecture sure to follow it, however there are more things in heaven and earth…. And Cody frowns, knowing that that phrase is from something but he can’t place it.

It will needle away at him until he knows, so he ascertains to find it once he is released from the clutches of medical.

Kenobi is in his own head, musing, and glances up when Cody actually moves.

‘Is the door open, sir?’ Cody asks and Kenobi looks suitably guilty once more, a flash of red passes at his face that due to no beard inflames.

‘Err, quite, Helix will be happy to see you’ Kenobi comments, knowingly, and Cody eases into the well-worn-in and acquainted bond slowly again as they leave.

Helix is never happy to see anyone, their grouchy kolto-trigger-happy medic is a law unto himself. He outranks Cody in medical purposes and Cody is to the day displeased about it.

They go their separate ways, Kenobi to the bridge and Cody to medical.

That gaping, clawing push of loneliness behind his ribs has gotten slighter in size, and that perhaps when all is said and done, if he lives through the war, perhaps he’ll still have a friend in Obi-Wan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He really hates B2 droids. He hates the snow and the cold, and the way it slows everything down, makes every battle longer and worse than it needs to be. He also hates this truly stupid plan.  
> They should have stuck together! Moved as a complete unit, they have always been stronger that way. But no General Kenobi knows better. Of course, he does.

The shuttle shudders, creaks, and Obi-Wan keeps himself idly entertained by Boil and Waxer’s seemingly unending debates, this time on the interest of pets. The two of them are better off side by side, they seem to come as a pair. Much like himself and Anakin, according to the Council that is, and Obi-Wan thinks on his former Padawan across the system, enjoying the pleasantries of Naboo while he fights the cold in the tips of his fingers. He doesn’t admit to envy, however a part of him does wishes off this blasted route and back on the Negotiator or on the carefully carved grounds of the temple. Either would do really. He nods at Waxer, having not actually been an active participant of the conversation for a while, before deciding to get up from the seat and try not to trudge his way down the shuttle to the front. He approaches one of their newest additions to Ghost, a rather sprightly trooper who is called Jek – a name only recently coined – who hasn’t felt well the entirety of their run across the Bryx sector. Clearly something alerts Commander Cody to his presence as he turns to face him.

‘Everything alright, sir?’ he asks.

‘Quite alright, just wanted to make sure Jek here is not getting too bored’ he says and the young man startles at being addressed so casually, looking to Cody for help. Cody tilts his head to the right, a move Obi-Wan has come to know, even while donning the helmet, means a form of encouragement. It works.

Obi-Wan takes this moment to sit down next to him.

‘I’m fine, sir’

‘Excellent. If that changes, do let me know, I like these robes, and the last time someone was sick on me it was my former Master-‘ Obi-Wan shudders at the mere memory but takes mild amusement from Jek’s horror-struck expression. ‘So, please give me some warning’ and Jek blanches, holds tighter onto his helmet on his lap, and nods.

‘Yes, sir’ he replies, disdainfully.

The shuttle rumbles and warps and Obi-Wan addresses his Commander.

‘When is the next fuel stop, Cody?’ he asks, as pleasantly as he can, and Cody doesn’t sigh, the breath Obi-Wan hears through the vocoder is simply because of the cold.

‘Kijimi, sir, terrestrial planet’ Cody’s succinct answer comes.

‘Is it cold?’ Obi-Wan offers, with a small smile and he can almost see Cody roll his eyes at him, at his lack of knowledge. Cody is a reader, and likes reading planetary geography and terrain – for research and military purposes he says. Obi-Wan lets him think he believes him.

‘Yes sir, frigid surface temperatures of just above freezing’

The clones are somewhat lucky their internal body temperature is higher than that of regular humans, to be more efficient across terrains and planets, and while Obi-Wan despises the way these men have been tampered with and moulded, he can thank small mercies for things like that. He fetches his gloves from the pocket slip of his robe and puts them on.

He ignores the knowing look Cody is giving him under his helmet. The previous time they had landed on a below-zero planet Obi-Wan had donned a ridiculous orange puffed coat and Cody had told him how it matched his hair. The cheek! Obi-Wan had simply placed his goggles on his eyes and haughtily ignored him.

The trust between them is better since their argument in the training rooms, and Obi-Wan doesn’t feel like he is being alienated anymore from his second in command. He hadn’t realised the other man would be quite so furious at him – not the Council – at _him,_ and yet when the mental shielding came down, trickling over like the drip of an overflowing sink, Obi-Wan hadn’t been prepared for the hurt and loneliness that had followed. Anakin had yelled at him, and Obi-Wan had been able to channel that, and work through it, and absorb some of Anakin’s outburst like he has done many a time before with his former-Padawan. But Cody, he had refused to even talk to him and deemed himself fit to carry on by his side without saying anything, to the point where Obi-Wan had to corner him. He isn’t entirely proud of how he handled it, but he missed his Commander, he missed someone he thought was his friend. Anakin had quite crudely told him _‘Are you not surprised. You lied to him. Like you did to all of us. Rex told me he spent his leave in ‘79s drinking’._ Rex had left that bit out when talking to Obi-Wan about it, not that is matters in the grand scheme of things, he knew that Rex felt like he was betraying his brother’s trust telling him what he did. Bail Organa, while shaking his hand upon returning to _land of the living_ and free of the mask of Hardeen, had solemnly told him that he had better stay dead the next time, before nearly crushing him in a hug. Obi-Wan did what he thought was the right thing to do, for the Republic, for the Chancellor.

Obi-Wan folds his hands together, fingers sliding over the layered leather and tilts his head up to Cody’s eyeline, he can feel the press of the bond. ‘Anything on your mind?’ he offers, and Cody shakes his head, seems to become more uncomfortable and brings a hand not holding onto the handle, to fiddle under the chin of his helmet – an itch perhaps.

He presses into Cody’s mind a suggestion that he should sit down.

‘Don’t worry about me’ is what Cody says, and Obi-Wan solidly refuses to begin an argument on his _mother-henning_ as Ahsoka had eloquently put it.

Waxer and Boil’s debate has reached a peak, at an impasse, as their voices raise, one not wanting to be the one to submit in this particular match. The two are not actually quarrelling, only they have allowed themselves to get rather loud in the process.

‘Waxer, Boil, I don’t care what it’s about – shut your traps!’ Cody snaps, his voice just a bit lower, down the line of the shuttle. A little like a warning of a wolf to it’s cubs as the growl ekes into his words. Obi-Wan is all too aware of that frustration pointed his way, and is fine not getting involved.

Boil reluctantly obeys, shifting into Waxer’s space, and the other man shrugs. They both murmur a ‘yes sir, sorry sir’, well-chastised.

‘Good.’ Cody states, and Waxer seems to eye his Commander, like he wants to ask him something, but either the circumstances or surroundings mean he wouldn’t dare, Obi-Wan knows Cody is different with them off-duty.

‘Commander?’ the pilot calls for Cody’s attention.

‘What is it, Corporal?’ he asks and the man relays a new update on their course towards Kijimi.

‘We are heading into Kijimi atmosphere now, sir, shall I connect to the Republic Forward-Base-Camp to acquire a docking requisition?’ he asks, considerably content for a man who hasn’t slept in over twelve hours.

‘Yes’

‘Affirmative, sir’

He hails the base camp, gives the shuttle number and Republic code, and the radio feedback is choppy, marred with static of interference.

 _‘-We have enemy firepower in the sky, it will be ill-advised for you to land. The droid gunships are taking out our response ships’_ the Republic soldier warns. ‘If you require fuel you might-‘

‘With all due respect, the next station is too far away we’ll crash land without any help at all!’ Cody says sharply, after flicking on the com, overriding the pilot.

‘I am only advising you. You have permission to dock if you choose to do so, sir’ the soldier clicks off, and Cody huffs and the man’s attitude.

‘Your call, General’ he says, and Obi-Wan takes an askance look at his squad of men, and then stands to look over through the windows at the front of the shuttle. They will not be able to last to the next fuelling dock, which is nearly in the next system, leaving them drifting and crashing in the middle of nowhere with little chance of a rescue. He has let them down enough the past few campaigns.

‘I say we land. It’s our only option. We get to ground, re-load and fuel up, and be on our way’ Obi-Wan decides.

‘They are taking damage down there, sir, surely we can’t-‘ Cody adds, and he is right, like usual.

‘We help, only if it is required of us to do so,’ he intones and braces for Cody’s response, only none comes, he simply agrees and falls silent. Obi-Wan tries to hide his surprise.

He is almost certain once they reach the surface they will engage and assist, however it is not their job to act where others do not want them to.

‘We could try to land away from the camp, draw the fire away from those below and ditch the ship, make our advance back towards the camp and take out anything in our way. We aren’t necessarily engaging, we are defending our own position’ Cody states, and Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow at him in contemplation. Not for the first time in their partnership does he admire Cody’s tactical thinking.

‘I do believe you have been spending far too much time around Anakin, my dear man’ he says, not looking too closely at precisely why Cody would have done so, given that it is likely all to do with Torrent squad absorbing a General-less company – ‘However I do see your point. Fine job, Commander’ he praises, and Cody inclines his head, in an approximation of accepting the compliment.

‘Thank you, sir’ his voice is cut short through the vocoder as if he made himself speak, like he didn’t quite want to, which is a little off, and Obi-Wan looks towards the others again before leaning and addressing the pilot whose name is –

‘Cole could you land us a click away from the camp, fly low, but be careful, let’s give those droids something more interesting to look at’ Obi-Wan says and Cole’s grin is quick and he nods sharply with a _‘on it, sir’_.

The shuttle drops, rather gracefully given the climate, as it enters Kijimi airspace, and even from where they are it is already a minor catastrophe in the darker skies. They make a decent distraction, and the enemy clearly are confused at seeing a Republic shuttle enter their spat, and then the gunships recover and, begin to fire. The bolts aren’t heavy, the shielding around the shuttle is enough to withstand, and Cole deftly flies their way, leading anyone who dares to follow away from the Camp.

‘We must be interesting enough, nice work, Cole’ Obi-Wan taps his shoulder, before pushing off from the pilot’s seat entirely. Jek doesn’t look all too good, he has gone faintly green, and Obi-Wan sends a calming force-wave over him to settle him. It does absolutely nothing as the shuttle jolts, taking a stray hit, clipping the back, and Waxer stumbles his way over to Jek reaching out to all but keep himself standing by leaning on the young man’s shoulder.

‘Hold onto your stomach, brother, this won’t be an easy landing’ he says, putting on a smile. Obi-Wan sends him a grateful look at that.

‘Alright, when we do land, we will split up into two groups. Waxer, Boil and Cale, you’re with me; Jek, Wooley, Archer, Sully, you’re with Commander Cody, and we approach in a pincer movement, sustain each other’s flank and position, distract and take down the enemy as they advance. Look out for one another. Is that clear?’

‘Sir, yes sir’ resounds around the ship, from everyone except Cody who shifts into an attention stance when Obi-Wan looks at him. Obi-Wan has never much worried about that sort of thing, especially not from Cody who seems to feel the need to do it anyway, because it is part of his strict no-slacking attitude.

The men slide on their helmets, check their blasters; and not for the first time, does Obi-Wan take a pause to look at each of them, of their recognisable paintwork on their armour and helmets, and then Jek and Archer who have nothing at all. They are clean, shiny, and ever so new to the malfunction that is the galaxy around them.

Obi-Wan steels his resolve and readies his nerves.

It doesn’t go quite as planned. As they dismount, they do not have very long to split up into the groups and Obi-Wan trusts his men, however no-one expects the round of B2 droids trenching their way across the snowy grounds in considerable numbers. B2 droids are formidable opponents as their armouring is far superior to that or their predecessors. He ignites his lightsaber, twirls the blade into a defensive readied stance and steps out in front of his men. Waxer and Boil are stellar marksmen, and Cale is surprisingly adept with poppers and an EMP grenade or five, taking out seven in one go.

‘Not bad for a rookie’ Boil grumbles his praise and Obi-Wan bites on a smile at Cale’s rather rude response.

‘I do believe Boil’s mother was a cloning vat, Cale, but that is quite an interesting insult’ Obi-Wan comments lightly and Cale startles from his covered position. He forgets some of them do not know that he speaks Mando’a and can decipher their particular bastardised form of it even if he learned the regal form.

‘Sir!’ he wails, and Obi-Wan nods.

‘Come along, no time to chat, I’ll tell you later’ he promises and Cale forward rolls towards Waxer and Boil instead as cover, and they advance again. Obi-Wan can’t see Cody, nor the others, and he stamps out the creeping worry.

‘Cody, come in’ he says into his wrist-com, getting no reply, so he sends a purposefully low bolt careening back, exploding a tree and splintering a line of droids. ‘I do have my moments, you know’ Obi-Wan adds as Waxer whistles low in appreciation.

‘Never doubted you, sir’ he doesn’t move from looking down his blaster, taking shots and tripping up droids with feet shots, and Cale throwing an EMP in for good measure, the following explosion racks up many broken droid shells.

Obi-Wan feels the spider droid first, before laying eyes on the behemoth, the unrelenting steps as its legs stab the ground while powering up its laser.

‘Oh, that’s not good’ he mumbles under his breath, ‘Fall back!’ he orders to the other three.

‘Sir?’

‘One hit from one of those and we are all history’ he says, and yes, he could shield them, but only for one blast at the most; and those machines don’t give up. Waxer nods – makes a mental note to push for Waxer to enlist for the ARC training after all this mess.

‘What about the others?’ he asks and Obi-Wan reaches out, tries to find Cody’s specific force signature. Except he can’t find him. ‘Sir?’

More of his concerned-confusion must be readable on his face for Waxer to ask.

‘Get down!’ Boil shouts, just as a last bolt explodes the ground not too far in front of them, sending gritty snow up to rain down. Obi-Wan is able to slow down the impact enough.

‘Next time, that will be us we must fall back’ he orders, ‘Commander come in. Fall back and regroup with us now’ he says and his wrist-com blinks red at him, mean it’s active but not linked. Obi-Wan activates the shuttles communication channel asking Cole if he could get through to Commander Cody.

He really hates B2 droids. He hates the snow and the cold, and the way it slows everything down, makes every battle longer and worse than it needs to be. He also hates this truly stupid plan.

They should have stuck together! Moved as a complete unit, they have always been stronger that way. But no _General Kenobi_ knows better. Of course, he does.

_Sanctimonious asshole._

He doesn’t mean that, not really, he knows well enough the fact that the General has little to no idea how to keep himself alive and yet strives to protect others. It’s a humane quality, Cody supposes, he isn’t sure if it’s very Jedi-like though.

Hm, well, he can’t exactly preach on what being a Jedi is like: he couldn’t tell you if he tried. He knows he wouldn’t make a very good Jedi, not matter what Rex jokes about. His little brother thinks he is so very funny – Cody never understands why Bly thinks Rex is uptight, the man makes more jokes than Cody does when he is drunk!

He watches as Jek takes a series of shots, taking out three droids at once, and that is why Cody is proud of the competence and talent of his men. He thinks on Waxer and Boil, and Cale, and can rely on their combined skillset. Waxer and Boil might try his patience on a regular basis, however they are superb soldiers when on the field, when they need to be. Cale, a new addition, has a cruel streak under this mild manner that he doesn’t think even Kenobi is aware of at all. Which is not very surprising, Obi-Wan thinks the best of everyone all the time, even when those people are _women who want to kill him_.

As per usual, Cody has come to expect things to take a sharp left turn somewhere along the road to their destination of victory. So much so, that when it happens Cody is almost relieved.

He takes the hit, a misjudged shot from one of the smaller spider droids that sputters the ground up and sends him flying backwards with the force of the rounds that kick up near his feet. He was moments from losing his legs, that is all he thinks on as he hits the ground. He feels the protective push of Jek’s hand on his arm gauntlet, pulling him backwards, and Cody tries to make a note to give the man some praise when he can stand up again. He scrapes his boots across muddied snowed ground and looks to the other man who has taken cover alongside him.

‘Are you alright, sir?’ he asks, and Cody only just about makes it out from the crackling in his helmet speakers.

Cody is pretty certain the high-pitched ringing in his left ear is not real, nor is the sputtering beeping, but he doesn’t quite know. He can’t quite see all that well either, there is a haziness around his field of vision and when he shakes his head it’s like someone dropped him in very still cold water from very high up. It’s very odd. Not status-normal. There is a whispering in his head that sounds suspiciously like Obi-Wan. 

‘I’m fine rookie, cover Archer’ he instructs and Jek nods, and crouches before scarpering over and defending his brothers positions. ‘Status!’ he shouts, and Archer yells back.

As it stands, Wooley is okay, he took a hit to his shoulder from a weaker B2 round, and it pierced his armour but otherwise he doesn’t appear to have any serious injuries. He’s fine. Cody can cover him. He’ll be fine.

‘I thought you called me rookie, sir?’ Wooley asks, and Cody tilts his head sharply at the comment. Wooley appears to have noticed his mistake, and he looks ready to run across the frontline alone to save himself the embarrassment. Cody sighs, blinking through the pain that frizzles across his temple.

‘You aren’t really a rookie now, are you?’ he asks, and aims a few angry blaster shots at a flank of B2s and his hand itches towards his vibroknife at his ankle. It’s been a while since Ryloth and Wooley’s first deployment under the 212th, he is much more comfortable in his position in Ghost company.

‘No, sir!’ Wooley replies, adamant and Cody smirks.

‘Good man’ he nods.

Jek has hopped over their makeshift barricade, in the lull of fire, he holds a pair of binoculars up and scouts the area. Cody squints, tapping his own visor and it sputters and a there is a red line of nothing across his supposed helpful scanner. He growls out his frustration and moves into a crouching position.

Jek twists his upper body, waving towards Cody and then the other way to where Kenobi and his men are, ‘-ortar! Mortar!’ he screams and something kickstarts in his head, to move, to scatter, however his brain and body do not seem to want to ally.

Cody grabs Wooley, more on instinct than any sensible train of thought and they scarper back, the entire squad separates in three different directions. The blast sends them crashing to the ground, and Cody kicks up snow, hand holding Wooley down in a vain attempt at protecting him any more. Cold snow curls up and tries to cover them, followed quickly by the hardened force of the ground underneath which rains down on his armour in pelts. When he assess the worse is over he nudges Wooley who makes a noise of affirmation. He wraps a hand over a rock of ice in contemplation that threatened to lodge under his armour. After a beat, he looks up, pushing up, telling Wooley to hold his position, and he doesn’t wait for the muffled _yes sir_ that comes.

‘Jek! Archer! Sully!’ he calls, a few more names, and no-one reports in. His helmet might be busted, his inner speakers not working but there is silence on the field, and it’s deafening in its finality.

‘Commander!’ that’s Sully, he recognises the paintwork on the leg greaves.

‘Are you alright?’ he asks, and the man does an ‘okay’ sign up.

‘Permission to go and see if he is actually alright, sir?’ Wooley asks cautiously.

‘Stay where you are,’ Cody says, sharper than he intended, and he bites his jaw close ignoring the pain that sears past his molars.

Cody crouches and then sprints across to where Sully is held up. ‘Injured?’ he asks and Sully shakes his head.

‘I think I damaged my ankle, but nothing to stop me sir’ Sully pushes off his helmet, and Cody notices the sadness in the familiar dark eyes. ‘Jek and Archer didn’t get away fast enough’ he says, pointing to the bloody and disfigured trooper armour half entrenched in snow. Sully begins to breathe funny, hyperventilating, which, plus the frosty air will do something nasty to his lungs. ‘I couldn’t help!’ he says shakily.

‘It isn’t your fault.’ Cody says, ‘Breathe. Focus. It’ll be alright’ he sounds hollow as the words work their way past his lips. 

Cody spots the tell-tale figures of B2 droids, four of them, clamouring over their now defenceless barricade. Cody’s blaster rifle is lost in the snow and right at this very moment he couldn’t give a kriff, he fetches his vibroknife flipping it once in his palm. Sully hands him an EMP.

‘Cover me’ he commands, and Sully nods.

‘Always, sir’ and the man readjusts his form to settle with his own blaster.

Cody skids, and slides his way into a jump at the first B2, disarming it with a few kicks. He thanks the Maker that these droids can’t shoot at close range tactfully, and rolls the EMP towards the two others, his knife slicing through the important connections in the middle framework, and he shoves the Separatist-scrap into the heap as the EMP goes off, electrifying and decommissioning the other two in one fell swoop. He can feel his adrenaline kicking in, even if he is in the middle of it, where he should be at all times. Right in the centre of the chaos. The ringing in his ear has not gone but now he is struggling to hear properly and feels very lopsided. He refuses to allow that to slow him down. Not now. He knows Sully is keeping him covered by the sporadically aimed while also innovative shots at the flanking B2s.

He gets his hands around the head of another B2 pulling, taking a little bit of satisfaction in the screaming as its head comes off, when the very distinct sounds of a whirring lightsaber going through forms buzzes in his ears. Kenobi jumps into his periphery, two graceful swings of his take out a droid. Cody knows the blue of the lightsaber and it’s creepy reflection in the snow; he also knows a blaster bolt was heading his way if Kenobi hadn’t deflected it. Kenobi then sent his lightsaber flying off to eviscerate the droid who did it before calling it back into his open waiting palm. The lightsaber swivels and the colour pulses. Cody works the vibroknife through his fingers.

‘General’ Cody says, and Kenobi turns to fully face him.

‘Commander! What’s the situation?’ hearing Kenobi’s voice allows the concealed rage to shudder along his insides. Behind him still stands Boil, Waxer and Cale, and Cody can read their anxiety from a few feet away.

‘Sully has a damaged ankle, Wooley has a shallow shoulder wound and we lost two men in a mortar round’ he reports, clinically, ‘Archer and Jek’ Cody adds, and Kenobi’s face falls, and a tautness stretches along the skin next to his eyes. He’s compartmentalising. Filing the losses away in his head.

‘Your commlink is broken, Commander’ he says, and Cody looks to his wrist at the rapidly blinking red light. ‘I assume that is why you were ignoring me, Field-Marshall Commander Cody’.

Cody dislikes being told off, and he distinctly feels as if he is being chastised in front of his men. It settles something low in his stomach, like acid, ‘Yes, sir’ he replies and Kenobi scowls, the grime and wetness of his face offsets the expression, and Cody likes to think he knows him well enough to see the arrogance through the guise. Ha. Cody doesn’t really know him, he thinks bitterly.

‘Cody-‘

‘We need to re-group, sir. We are gaining nothing split up like this, especially with two injured and no medic’ his voice is short and he cuts the Jedi off, as petty as it is, knowing Kenobi, unlike Skywalker, will let him do it.

‘Agreed. Cale could you go and get Wooley from where he is still in the snow, please?’ Kenobi asks, coolly.

‘Yes, sir, right away’ Cale trudges off to where Wooley is still obediently laying low. Cody sighs.

‘I say we head for the trees’ he says, looking outwards the mountains, and then replaces the knife in the holster, straightening up and eyeing his men.

‘Lay low for while, I concur’ Kenobi adds, ‘How is your shoulder, Wooley?’ Kenobi asks when the man appears alongside Cale, and the helmeted head jerks up at being addressed, a hand seemingly of its own accord goes to touch it at the mention.

‘Nothing I can’t handle’ Wooley says, and Kenobi smiles slightly.

‘Good to hear’

They do that, they move towards the trees, and Kenobi helps Sully until the man tells him he is fine, and can walk without help. Kenobi holds back, and Cody isn’t stupid, he realises it is solely for the purpose of capturing Cody’s attention without the onlook of the rest of the team.

‘You are still angry with me’ Kenobi says quietly, and he has at least still got his cloak on, the hood a flimsy shield against the cold he must feel. 

‘I don’t know what you mean, sir’ Cody aims for naivety, and misses entirely, hitting disinterest with full force.

‘I am not your keeper, I will not tell you how to think or feel, you know this.’ And Cody thinks this is likely to turn into a monologue. He tilts his head in an approximation of a nod.

‘And I appreciate that’ Cody says, instead of bringing up some only recently healed scars, and his boots sink into softening snow, not that he gets all that far before Kenobi begins to speak again.

‘You walk away, you brood and sulk and things do not get fixed’ he says, and Cody knows that tone, has heard him speak similarly to General Skywalker. Not that the man actually listens... Oh. Right.

‘That isn’t fair’ Cody says, very much aware that he sounds like a shiny.

‘No. It isn’t. You claim to be fine, and yet you lost two men today in what, by your own standards, should be an easy manoeuvre. That isn’t like you. You know better. You are smarter than that’

‘I am aware of that’ Cody says, grimacing, almost not allowing the other man to finish his sentence. He is not going to let them talk about this. Not now.

‘You are? Well that is news to me, Commander. Do let me know when you are done losing your _brothers_ through your own self-destructive arrogance’ Kenobi turns away, sending a mockingly casual salute.

At the mention of _brothers_ , a Waxer and Wooley turn to look at the pair, and even fully armoured up he knows their gazes are heavy with scrutiny and concern.

Cody takes in the sight of his men.

Of how Wooley is leaning on the tree while Boil gruffly wraps up his shoulder, scowling all the while, but then when Wooley seizes up in pain Boil’s motions are a little more tender. Sully is sitting on a fallen tree, trying, and failing, to wrap his own ankle, hovering his foot up as well as he can. Waxer is telling him about keeping it level and Sully’s reply is inaudible but snippy. Cody is about to move however Waxer is already there, helmetless now, and he directs a smile of _I got this_ towards him.

Cody lifts off his own helmet, feels the chilly air gush onto his face and actually turns the helmet around to look at the front of it. Analysing the damage done.

‘Right. Fine’ he says, more to himself, and walks off to find a space no too far away from his team but enough to get some time by himself.

‘Fine’ he hears Kenobi echo back at him, the petulance working it’s way through even if he believes himself to be right.

Cody can fix his visor, enough to make it manageable for him to get back to base, then he can replace it and be done with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos & comments are very welcome!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think.


End file.
